Sunday, November 6, 2016

Syrian Kurds begin campaign to oust Islamic State from Raqqa

Kurdish-led Syrian forces began an offensive to liberate the city of Raqqa, clashing with extremists north of the city while warning Turkey to stay out of the conflict. The United States, France and Britain said they would provide air support for the offensive. One concern for the coup is how heavily outnumbered the Kurdish-led Syrian force are, facing 200,000 Sunni Arabs and an estimated 5,000 Islamic State fighters. The Raqqa offensive aims at isolating and encircling the city. In achieving this goal, increases the pressure on the Islamic State group, making it harder for its fighters to move reinforcements between Syria and Iraq. 30,000 fighters are expected to take place in the raid, given the nickname "Euphrates Rage". https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/syrian-kurds-begin-campaign-to-oust-islamic-state-from-raqqa/2016/11/06/32379aa4-a489-11e6-ba46-53db57f0e351_story.html